PETALING JAYA: As Malaysia faces threats to food security, the government’s proposal for an urban agriculture programme could help address the issue, say experts.
Universiti Putra Malaysia Agriculture Faculty senior lecturer Dr Juju Nakasha Jaafar expressed confidence in the targeted urban agriculture programme, saying it was “doable and realistic”.
“It should also start as soon as possible,” she said in an interview.
The government, she said, needed to “gather the right people” and “accurate information” to implement this.
“I believe they can gather all the information from different agencies or universities,” she said, adding that UPM can assist the government with the necessary data.
Juju Nakasha said UPM has been actively working with urban farming communities for agriculture activities.
“We have collected the community’s profile, and it was documented as a proceeding book last year by the faculty.
“This can be a platform for the government to screen the community based on profile data.
“If the government would like to use the proceeding book as a starting point to implement this, we at UPM are ready to support this initiative by the Prime Minister,” she said.
Malaysia’s urban agriculture programme can be tailored to the specific needs and capabilities of each community, ensuring its long-term impact and fostering greater participation in urban farming practices, she added.
In February, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government would introduce a targeted urban agriculture programme, taking Singapore’s programmes as a model.
He said this programme, starting with Kuala Lumpur, would aim to increase the country’s agricultural output.
However, agriculture and food security policy researcher Dr Sarena Che Omar said such a programme will not be able to help alleviate national self-sufficiency rates due to certain factors.
“Because of the lack of economies of scale, it is hard for urban agriculture to produce crops that can beat the prices in rural areas, including in terms of quantity,” she said, suggesting that regulatory challenges should be addressed.
She added that, as most land in urban areas is residential and commercial, it would be complicated to make way for agricultural activities.
“The small and spread-out nature of urban agriculture may also make any enforcement and monitoring more challenging, should there be a need to,” Sarena said.
Nevertheless, Sarena added that a smaller-scale urban agriculture programme would be more effective, especially when it involves empowering underprivileged communities.
She said this includes households living in the People’s Housing Projects (PPR) or affordable homes for the lower income group.
“Through collaborations with social enterprises and NGOs, these urban poor communities can engage in sustainable farming via the adoption of MyGAP (Malaysia Good Agricultural Practices) or even producing organic foods.
“These products could then be sold at a premium price, targeting the niche market, thereby potentially giving them added side income,” she said.
Meanwhile, agriculturist and founder of social enterprise PWD Smart FarmAbility, Dr Billy Tang, said that hydroponic farming is the centrepiece of sustainable practices, as all inputs are traceable.
“Hydroponic farming offers a viable solution for targeted urban agriculture.
“The method is efficient, resource-conserving, and suitable for urban settings,” he said.
“Sustainable agriculture underscores the imperative of prioritising sustainability and efficiency in every aspect of our approach to revolutionising our agricultural landscape.
“For example, reducing expired or near-expiry food dumping is essential for promoting sustainability and efficiency.
“By minimising food waste, we not only conserve resources but also promote a more environmentally conscious system,” he said.
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